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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Liberty Bell Arch - 12/31/11

Ring the Bell !! And, bring in the New Year! Liberty Bell, that is! The Liberty Bell Arch is located south of the Hoover Dam in Arizona. After crossing the new bridge, White Rock Canyon trailhead parking lot is four miles and to the left. Almost forty hikers from the Around the Bend Friends started their hike from here today.

The hike was divided into two groups of hikers but since we were only fifteen minutes apart, the groups got jumbled together at the arch. The first group had twenty hikers and we hiked down White Rock Canyon until we soon found the right turn onto the arch trail (almost 1 mile down). We began here with a little climb up to the old manganese mining area. There are still some relics lying around.

We dropped down into the wash and continued on the trail which has been improved since last year. The "steep" hill going down to the wash was not as slippery as in years past. As we were enjoying the arch, the second group made their approach.

Several hikers from the first group and two hikers from the second group decided to hike up the steep slippery hill, go over the saddle and climb around the back side of the arch to step inside the bell. Only six hikers ultimately made it to the bell. Photos were taken and we moved on.

We climbed to the top of the plateau above the arch to take our break overlooking the Colorado River. We could see the new bridge in the distance. By this time, all of the hikers in both groups were there.

The weather was fabulous. We saw several other hikers on the arch trail and even more on the White Rock Canyon trail which leads to the hot springs near the river. Happy New Year to all!!!

Welcome to our website!

As a group of people who have climbed over the age 50 mark and still have very young hearts (pun intended), we welcome new members and guests to our club. It is easy to join. Just show up at a hike rated leisurely and pay your yearly dues of $5. If you aren't sure about it, be our guest for one hike. You will be required to sign a waiver of liability and a release of your image to be used on this website if you happen to walk inadvertently in front of a camera.

To the extent that we contemplate ourselves and elevate our state of life, we can deepen our understanding of others. Someone who does so is capable of recognizing and treasuring people’s individuality. A person of wisdom tries to invigorate others and bring out the best in them.

I believe friendship is the most genuinely humane relationship of which we are capable. To be understood and appreciated for oneself is a vital experience in life.

Points to Ponder

Dogs solution for stress: if you cannot eat it, if you cannot play with it, pee on it and walk away.